Project management methods are well known. They are often used to help people coordinate and share task details and are designed to help the project manager control a particular project or series of sub-projects by top-down control directives. Although known methods and processes work well for the project manager, they lack the flexibility and ease of use required by those carrying out the many tasks usually needed for completion of the project. On the other hand, people directly involved in the project need to be able to work as teams and to integrate many tasks that may not be directly involved in the project and known project management systems are generally unsuitable for their needs.
Because project management tasks are generally linked by dependencies, moving one task automatically affects all dependent tasks. Known project management techniques tend to become inadequate if applied to routine tasks and multiple tasks across many projects as is common in general management.
Personal Information Management Software (PIMS) such as scheduling, diary and organiser software are known for keeping track of actions to complete tasks. However they provide little assistance in planning all but very simple tasks, and their resource management capacity is minimal. Furthermore, planning methods are not linked to individual diaries in these systems and consequently longer term tasks are not effectively linked to the daily actions required to implement these tasks.
Groupware software such as Lotus Notes is known and employs form based methods for combining task information. Lotus Notes addresses the communication and replication of data but does not address the workplace issues covered in this process.
Security methods in known project management systems, PIMS and groupware software are generally based on restricting access to designated task details. These methods are usually inflexible and do not correspond with the way people actually work. They become unworkable in the multiple task environment most people face on a daily basis.
In known groupware software, unauthorised people are prevented from viewing and/or changing task details by software security means, such as passwords. Consequently if task details are shared between unnecessary personnel, conflicts can arise which a user must resolve. It is desirable to utilise a coordinated method which displays task details to a given person only if the details are relevant to that person.